I Have No Son
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"I Have No Son" is a two-part episode of the animated television series Rocko's Modern Life which introduces the character of the Bigheads' son Ralph.
[edit] Plot
In the beginning of the first part, Rocko and Filbert are watching their favorite new cartoon, The Fatheads, which is a parody of the Bigheads. When they see the credit "Created by Ralph Bighead", Rocko goes over to the Bigheads and asks Ed Bighead if Ralph is his son. Insulted, Ed yells, "I have no son!" and slams the door into Rocko's face. Bev on the other hand, explains to Rocko that Ralph is their only son and asks Rocko to go out to "Holl-O-Wood" (a parody of Hollywood) to find Ralph because their anniversary is coming up.
Rocko and Filbert go to Hollowood and wind up on a tour. Rocko then spots Ralph and he and Filbert follow him. When they get into the office, Rocko tells Ralph that his parents' anniversary is coming and ask him if he like to come. However, Ralph refuses; stating that he never wants to see his parents ever again because of his father's (Ed's) discourgement of his dream of becoming a cartoonist. At the end of the first part, when Filbert tries to get a picture of Ralph, Ralph slams the door into his face.
In the second half, Ralph opens a secret safe containing a half donut. We see a flashback of Ed trying to convince Ralph to follow in his footsteps by breaking half of the donut. Ralph breaks the donut however, Ralph declines to follow in his father's footsteps, saying he wants to become a cartoonist, causing the Conglomo-O board to panic and even leaping out of the building. Ed, feeling betrayed, then declares, "I have no son!" and disowns Ralph. At the Bigheads' anniversary, Rocko tries to explain to Bev that Ralph is not coming, but is prevented when a relative grabs and dances with him. But Ralph then shows up and he and Ed begin to fight. Bev breaks them up. Finally, Ralph shows Ed that he actually saved the half donut which he broken off.
Surprised, Ed then shows Ralph that he also saved the other half. Both embrace, and Ralph explains to Ed that he does not care about Conglom-O, but him. At the end, the Bigheads, Rocko and Filbert watch a new episode of The Fatheads, with a new character, Rollo, who is a parody of Rocko.
[edit] Trivia
- One of the most popular episodes of Rocko's Modern Life, this first half-hour episode of the series was the brainchild of staff writer Martin Olson who also convinced show creator Joe Murray to supply the voice for Ralph Bighead. The episode can also be viewed as a surreal satire of the series itself.
- The show-within-a-show "The Fatheads" arguably supplies the most surreal sequences in the entire four seasons.
- When creator Joe Murray and director Mr. Lawrence saw the rough animation for "The Fatheads" sequences when they came back from Korea, they were stunned that the walk cycles were replaced by a weird "vibrating shoes" effect, and that the "exploding pineapples" sequences were animated all wrong. Joe was ready to send the footage back for retakes until Doug "Mr." Lawrence convinced him to leave the mistakes intact, which is one of the reasons why these sequences are so unique and original.
